Motorcoach bus safety bill wins U.S. Senate Committee approval

WASHINGTON — Safety advocates and families of victims of motorcoach bus crashes today heralded a U.S. Senate committee’s approval of long-sought legislation to dramatically improve motorcoach safety for the millions of Americans who rely on this popular transportation mode.

The Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act (S.554), introduced by Senators Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, was passed by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. The bill now moves to the Senate floor for consideration.

As passed by the committee, the legislation requires the U.S. Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to issue new regulations to improve the safety of motorcoaches and motorcoach operators. The safety measures required by the bill have been the subject of numerous safety recommendations issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) over the past four decades, according to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.